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Luke Dormehl - page 262

Apple faces $862 million fine for infringing university’s patent

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Apple faces a heavy fine.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple may face $862 million in damages for allegedly infringing on a patent owned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s patent-licensing wing, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

The Apple technologies that take advantage of said patent for increased processor efficiency? None other than the A7, A8 and A8X chips, which are found in the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus handsets, as well as several iPad models.

Uh-oh.

Apple showcases how far iMac has come since 1998

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Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 15.51.57
1998 vs. 2015. No surprises about the winner in this one.
Photo: Apple

To coincide with today’s brand new Retina iMacs release, Apple has launched a superb new mini-site comparing the latest Mac desktop with the 1998-era iMac G3.

The first major release under Steve Jobs upon his return to Apple, the original iMac was also the computer which introduced Jony Ive as a creative force at Apple, as well as the machine that announced that Apple was on the comeback trail.

Needless to say, Moore’s Law and an extra 17 years of innovation means that the current iMac is on a totally different plain to Jobs’ comeback computer.

Check out some of the astonishing stats below.

Apple introduces new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2

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Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 14.56.00
Round of applause for Apple, please.
Photo: Apple

Alongside stunning new 21.5- and 27-inch Retina iMacs, Apple’s other big announcement of the day relates to the release of an all-new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2.

These gorgeous new devices have been completely redesigned to feel more comfortable than ever, while also featuring fully rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, giving them around one month of charge.

Apple releases ‘stunning’ new 4K and 5K iMacs

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Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 14.26.03
Apple's iMacs just got even sweeter.
Photo: Apple

Apple today revealed its refreshed line of iMacs, including a brand new 21.5-inch 4K Retina iMac and 27-inch 5K Retina model.

The smaller iMac now matches the pixel density of the larger 5K iMac, giving it 4.5 times the resolution of Full HD. The 27-inch iMac, meanwhile, boasts Retina 5K displays across the board, whereas previously they were available only for the $2,499 flagship iMac.

The 21.5-inch 4K iMac starts at $1,499, while the 27-inch version starts at $1,799.

Apple finally working to bring Touch ID to MacBooks

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Yep, that would work.
Yep, that would work.
Photo: USPTO/Apple

Apple may finally be ready to introduce its Touch ID fingerprint sensor to the MacBook — more than two years after it made its first appearance on the iPhone.

A new patent published today describes “Finger sensing apparatus using hybrid matching and associated methods,” and depicts an embedded Touch ID sensor on a future MacBook, although it also leaves to the door open for the same technology to be featured on an iMac keyboard.

Woz talked to Steve Jobs about returning to Apple in 2011

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Steve Wozniak. Photo:
Could Woz have made an Apple return? Not if he had anything to say about it.
Photo: HigherEdWeb/Flickr CC

Steve Jobs raised the possibility of Steve Wozniak returning to Apple in conversation that took place during Jobs’ final days in 2011, according to a new interview.

The insight comes from a Bloomberg interview with Woz talking about the new Steve Jobs movie, which opened on limited release last weekend.

Free at last! Apple finally ditches controversial antitrust monitor

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Apple can't ditch its ebook compliance monitor.
Apple has finally parted ways with Michael Bromwich.
Photo: Apple

Apple has finally ditched its controversial antitrust monitor Michael Bromwich after two years of what Apple acknowledges has been a “rocky relationship.”

Bromwich was first installed in Cupertino back in October 2013, after Apple was found to have illegally colluded with five book publishers to raise e-book prices in a way that was deemed to have hurt Apple’s competition.

Facebook updates are easier than ever thanks to 3D Touch

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Facebook is killing your battery.
Yay for 3D Touch!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Facebook has just updated its official iOS app, adding some new iPhone 6s-friendly features designed to work with the new handsets’ 3D Touch capabilities.

What exactly does that mean? Essentially that you can now use 3D Touch’s “Quick Actions” from the Facebook app icon. Give your iPhone 6s a firm press on the Home screen and you get the option of writing a post, uploading a photo or video, or taking a photo or video.

Foxconn posts record September revenues thanks to iPhone 6s

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Can there be a better month than September if you're in the iPhone business?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

iPhone 6s manufacturer Foxconn has posted revenues of $318.4 million for the month of September, largely as a result of Apple’s next-gen handset.

The monster earnings for the month were not only the best month of Foxconn’s year so far, but represented a 30 percent rise from the previous month and an increase of 17.8 percent year-on-year.

And Apple’s main manufacturer is expecting October to be even better!

India is finally getting its own official Apple Stores

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India Apple Stores
The closest thing India has to an Apple Store at the moment.
Photo: Lawrence Sinclair/Flickr CC

India is finally getting its own official Apple Stores, thanks to a partnership with local consumer electronics chain Croma.

The six new retail stores will be opened inside existing Croma stores in India, much like the store-in-a-store model used by Apple during the 1990s. Despite this, they will feature the familiar Apple Store look and feel, and be manned by staff trained by Apple.

Apple voted top brand in the United Arab Emirates

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A location fit for an Apple Store? We think so.
The site of Apple's upcoming Dubai Apple Store.
Photo: Longhornsandcamels

The United Arab Emirates hasn’t even gotten its first Apple Store yet, but that hasn’t stopped Apple from ranking no. 1 in a list of the “Top 10 Most Intimate Brands in the UAE.”

In doing so, it didn’t just beat tech rival brands like Samsung and Google, but also auto-makers Lexus and Mercedes, chain coffee shop Starbucks, and a variety of others.

Steve Jobs movie rakes in cash during limited opening weekend

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Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs.
How full will the audience be when Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs movie opens wide?
Photo: Universal Pictures

Just like the original Macintosh or iPhone, the Steve Jobs movie is racking up favorable reviews among a few early adopters — en route to (hopefully) taking over the world.

After its limited opening weekend, it’s definitely off to a strong start.

Chesh, Twitter Moments, and other awesome apps of the week

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appsoftheweek_1024
'Appy weekend all.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Somehow it’s already half-way through the weekend, but there’s still time to check out the hottest apps to have arrived in the App Store as of late!

This week, we’ve selected a broad range of topics — from emergency alerts everyone should have installed on their iOS devices, to a fun photo app, and some truly immersive puzzle games. Check out our picks below.

iPhone 6s now available SIM-free from the Apple Store

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The iPhone isn't ditching LCD screens.
The 's' stands for SIM-free. Or something like that.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

People who have been waiting to pick up their iPhone 6s or 6s Plus without a SIM card can start planning out their weekend — because Apple has just started offering unlocked, carrier-free, SIM-free versions of its next-gen iPhones direct from the Apple Store.

Elon Musk: We call Apple the ‘Tesla graveyard’

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tesla
Relations between the two companies sound a bit frosty right now.
Photo: CC Wikipedia

Elon Musk has hit out at Apple’s rumored electric car project, saying that it’s filling its ranks with second rank people — who Tesla has already tried out and then gotten rid of.

“They have hired people we’ve fired,” Musk told German newspaper Handelsblatt. “We always jokingly call Apple the ‘Tesla Graveyard.’ If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I’m not kidding.”

Steve Jobs movie is dramatic, but Michael Dell’s is hilarious

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"Don't think different; think same."
Photo: Conan

Michael Dell is most familiar to long-time Apple fans as the man who told a crowd in the late-1990s that, if he was running the company, “I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.”

With Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs movie currently making waves, Conan yesterday unveiled his hilarious trailer for what a Michael Dell biopic might look like.

If you ever wanted to see a Hollywood version of the Dell story — complete with inspirational lines like “Don’t think different; think same” — this is probably the closest you’re ever going to get. Check it out below.

Exclusivus iBookus! Apple magics up special edition Harry Potter books

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Should we call him Harr iPotter now?
Photo: Warner Bros.

Apple today announced the launch of special “Enhanced Editions” of all seven Harry Potter books, exclusively on iBooks.

Featuring interactive animations, elaborate artwork, custom covers, exclusive annotations by J.K. Rowling, and, of course, the original text, the books can be downloaded individually for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

iPhone 6s defeats $3,000 Nikon DSLR in 4K video battle

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Nikon_D750_01
Shootout at the 4K Coral.
Photo: Henry Söderlund

It’s no secret that the iPhone 6s packs a pretty darn great camera, but how does it compare to a professional DSLR like the Nikon D750?

A recent 4K video shootout compares the two and, wouldn’t you know it, finds that Apple’s next-gen handset pretty much owns the Nikon in terms of filming beautiful, crisply detailed footage.

Check out the video below.

Jimmy Iovine: Free music streaming is hurting the industry

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Jimmy Iovine shares a similar philosophy to Steve Jobs about music.
Photo: Vanity Fair

Jimmy Iovine used his appearance at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit in San Francisco to take swipes at Spotify and, in particular, to underline his hatred of free music streaming.

“Free is a real issue,” he said. “This whole thing about freemium, maybe at one time we needed it. But now it’s a shell game … These companies [offering a free music tier] are building an audience on the back of the artist.”

Almost 3 out of 5 compatible devices are running iOS 9

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iOS 9 is good, but iOS 10 needs to be spectacular.
There's no shortage of enthusiasm for iOS 9.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Not content with selling a whopping 13 million iPhone 6s handsets in their first weekend on sale, Apple is also smashing records with iOS 9 adoption.

According to Apple’s latest developer figures, just three weeks after its public debut, 57 percent of users with compatible mobile devices are already running iOS 9. Meanwhile, 33 percent are still using the last-generation iOS 8, while just 1 in 10 users is stuck on an earlier version.